FEMA to build temporary housing site for Joplin tornado survivors

A 50-acre tract of land south of the Joplin Regional Airport could soon be housing hundreds of families who lost their homes in the May 22 tornado.

Ayme Buckley

A 50-acre tract of land south of the Joplin Regional Airport could soon be housing hundreds of families who lost their homes in the May 22 tornado.

The property, owned by the city of Joplin, would be developed into a large, temporary site for hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Agency manufactured housing units, currently staged at Camp Crowder in Neosho.

Twin projects on the property will be developed simultaneously and joined by a large playground area. One section of the project will host 152 mobile units, the other 196 units. Construction will be contracted through the Army Corps of Engineers, and although the timeline could vary, FEMA officials hope work could begin within a week. As of Tuesday morning 624 families had requested aid from FEMA in finding a place to live.

Need has prompted an expedited public notice process and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will open a three-day public comment period on the project tomorrow. The typical 14-day process has been waived, said Crystal Payton, division external affairs lead for the Joplin office.

“Because of the urgent and compelling need to begin that construction, the three-day comment period will be June 22, 23 and 24,” Payton said.

FEMA plans to have families moving into the 14- by 60-foot, three-bedroom, one-bath units within 18 days after construction begins. The construction start date could be within the week.

After the first phase of 26 pads go in, contractors will install safety fence and move on to the next section while families move into the finished area. Within two weeks of construction start they plan to set the first units and they plan to finish the entire project in an estimated 45–60 days.

The housing is temporary and will be available through early November 2012. The housing program is for 18 months from the disaster declaration and Joplin’s tornado is grouped under the FEMA disaster declaration of May 9. Once families move out the units will be deactivated and moved back to the Camp Crowder staging area. Some 11 families have already moved into the units in place in Joplin. Those staying in shelters have priority. As of Monday afternoon there were still 15 people at the Red Cross Shelter.

During their Monday night meeting, the Joplin City Council placed a 60-day hold on residential construction in order to process the cleanup.

Payton urged those who have not already applied for FEMA aid to get their applications submitted before the July 8 deadline in case their situation changes and they need aid.

“We can continue to work with them as their housing needs or other needs change, after they get their insurance settlement,” Payton said. “We can continue to work with them for months after the deadline, however the deadline to apply is July 8.”

Officials say they have no doubt they can fill the 348 units in the temporary park, but the plans can be scaled back if need drops.

“Since the tornado tore through Joplin on May 22, finding temporary housing for those who lost their homes has been a struggle,” Payton said. “We have our first and foremost goal is to put people into existing rental resources which, of course, have been strapped.”

Units will be placed in existing mobile home parks first as the infrastructure is already there. Thirty-two mobile units have already been placed at Fountain Road Park Village and Country Acres Mobile Home Community and another 89 existing pads in mobile home parks identified in Joplin, said Pam Willis division director of individual assistance for the Joplin office. FEMA is working to sign commercial leases to place more units.

“We do not have a shortage of where we can place units,” Willis said.

One of the existing parks has room for expansion which could be a priority after the FEMA park is built, as officials said, it would be faster than developing new locations. Those plans are contingent on changing needs.

To submit comments or review information about the plans for the FEMA temporary group housing site in Joplin contact FEMA’s Joint Field Office, which is located at 1512 Heriford Rd., Columbia, Mo. Requests can be made to the Environmental Advisor at (816) 872-2014 or at Chelsea.Klein@fema.gov.

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